Margaret Hamburg

Food safety regulators introduced a new rule and promised increased focus on improving safety for pets on Friday after hundreds of dogs died following the consumption of jerky treats sourced from China.The Food and Drug Administration has received close to 4,000 complaints of illnesses related to the treats and a reported 600 deaths since 2007.While it has issued alerts about the jerky treats over the last few years, with its strongest yet coming earlier this week, the proposed rule marks its first major step to revamp the manufacturing process of pet foods to be sold in the U.S."Today's announcement addresses a critical part of the food system, and we will continue to work with our national and international industry, consumer and government partners as we … take steps to meet the challenge of ensuring a safe food supply," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.The rule, one of the seven pillars under the 2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, would require animal feed and pet food m...